The fantastic story of Mr. Sim Jae-duck will not end here, but having his former home turned into a park honoring the hygienic history of toilets is certainly impressive! Reuters shares the story and lovely photos…
The park, located about an hour outside of Seoul in the city of Suwon – otherwise known as the home of Samsung Electronics – centers around a toilet-shaped museum building that was once the home of Sim Jae-duck, founder and first president of the World Toilet Association.
Legend has it that Sim, a former Suwon mayor who made his fortune with a metal products business and was dubbed “Mr Toilet,” was born in his impoverished grandmother’s outhouse.
“He is a man whose life literally began in a toilet and ended at a commode-shaped house,” said Lee Yeun-sook, manager of planning at the “Mr Toilet Sim Jae-duck Foundation”.
Sim, who died in 2009 at the age of 70, shot to fame in South Korea when he provided loos for soccer fans when the country hosted the 2002 World Cup.